#Italian American heroes

[cinematic-literature]

Nessuno si salva da solo (2015) by Sergio Castellitto

Book title: L’eroe dai mille volti (The Hero with a Thousand Faces in English; 1949) by Joseph Campbell

[undeadvinyls]

i know yall voted for juveniles' parents lineup next but rlly wanted to post my gw babes :']

from L to R: Apollo 26/Roberta, Arthur, Felician, Naphat

[mariocki]

Lo voglio morto (I Want Him Dead, 1968)

"If the Confederates and the Yankees sign a truce, the two of us are ruined!"

"And so?"

"So, they have to keep killing each other until we've sold everything. Everything, right down to the last cartridge!"

[clove-pinks]

15 for the history ask if you haven’t answered already!

Were the history classes teached in an interesting way in your school/ college/ university? What would you do to improve them if you were the teacher / lecturer?

I would say yes, I have been blessed with some great history professors through the years. I still think about the fact that in Catholic high school [LOUD TRAIN HORN] years ago, in a heavily Italian-American state, my history class took an extremely critical look at Christopher Columbus—including primary source material in Columbus' own words.

If there's one big knock on my formal education in history, it has been very United States-centric. I would like to get away from this bias, and I also wish that Indigenous people/First Nations of the Americas were treated with the same care as European nations—recognising their distinct cultures, intertwining histories, languages, and relationships with one another as well as relationships with different European powers.

[soultoken-archived]

american comics are wild, man.

[cowboycunt]

gender affirming sex 🤌

[miyacchis]

the world was a different place immediately after 9/11

[ianmacallen]

Over at America Domani, I wrote about Italian Pepper and Egg sandwiches.

[nationaldaycalendar]

October 11, 2022 - NATIONAL SAUSAGE PIZZA DAY – INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD – GENERAL PULASKI MEMORIAL DAY – NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY

October 11, 2022 – NATIONAL SAUSAGE PIZZA DAY – INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD – GENERAL PULASKI MEMORIAL DAY – NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY

OCTOBER 11, 2022 | NATIONAL SAUSAGE PIZZA DAY | INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD | GENERAL PULASKI MEMORIAL DAY | NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY NATIONAL SAUSAGE PIZZA DAY | OCTOBER 11 Food lovers across the country enjoy National Sausage Pizza Day on October 11th each year. Whether served on a thin or thick crust, sausage pizza goes well with other toppings, too. Don’t hesitate to add mushrooms…

[metamorphesque]

Monte Melqonyan/Մոնթե Մելքոնյան (1957-1993)

Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. He's one of those extraordinary individuals about whom countless books could be written and numerous movies could be made, yet still, so much would remain untold. You might wonder, "He's a National Armenian Hero—cool, but why should I know about him?" My answer is simple: if the world had more people like him, especially in today's times, it would be a much better place. He fought for justice, embodied culture and education, and radiated a deep love for his people and humanity as a whole. I believe everyone should aspire to have a little bit of Monte's spirit within them, regardless of their nationality.

Now, it's important to note that some things written about him in the Western press can be questionable and inaccurate. So, I would advise taking most of the information from those sources with a grain of salt.

Monte was born on November 25, 1957, into an Armenian family in Visalia, California, that had survived the Armenian Genocide. From 1969 to 1970, his family traveled through Western Armenia, the birthplace of his ancestors. During this journey, Monte, at the age of twelve, began to realize his Armenian identity. While taking Spanish language courses in Spain, his teacher had posed him the question of where he was from. Dissatisfied with Melkonian's answer of "California", the teacher rephrased the question by asking "where did your ancestors come from?" His brother Markar Melqonyan remarked that "her image of us was not at all like our image of ourselves. She did not view us as the Americans we had always assumed we were." From this moment on, for days and months to come, Markar continues, "Monte pondered [their teacher Señorita] Blanca's question Where are you from?"

In high school, he excelled academically and struggled to find new challenges. Instead of graduating early, as suggested by his principal, Monte found an alternative - a study abroad program in East Asia. The decision to go to Japan was not random. He had been attending karate clubs and was the champion of the under-14 category in California. He also studied Japanese culture, including taking Japanese language courses. After completing his studies at a school in Osaka, Japan, he went to South Korea, where he studied under a Buddhist monk. He later traveled to Vietnam, witnessing the war and taking numerous photographs of the conflict. Upon returning to America, he had become proficient in Japanese and karate.

Having graduated from high school, Monte entered the University of California, Berkeley, with a Regents Scholarship, majoring in ancient Asian history and archaeology. In 1978, he helped organize an exhibition of Armenian cultural artifacts at one of the university's libraries. A section of the exhibit dealing with the Armenian Genocide was removed by university authorities at the request of the Turkish consul general in San Francisco, but it was eventually reinstalled following a campus protest movement. Monte completed his undergraduate work in under three years. During his time at the university, he founded the "Armenian Students' Union" and organized an exhibition dedicated to the Armenian Genocide in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey.

Upon graduating, he was accepted into the archaeology graduate program at the University of Oxford. However, Monte chose to forgo this opportunity and instead began his lifelong struggle for the Armenian Cause.

In the fall of 1978, Monte went to Iran and participated in demonstrations against the Shah. Later that year, he traveled to Lebanon, where the civil war was at its peak. In Beirut, he participated in the defense of the Armenian community. Here, he learned Arabic and, by the age of 22, was fluent in Armenian, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Persian, Japanese, and Kurdish.

From 1980, Monte joined the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA – I promise to tell you more about them later) and quickly became one of its leaders. In 1981, he participated in the planning of the famous Van operation. In 1981, he was arrested at Orly Airport in France for carrying a false passport and a pistol. During his trial, Monte declared, "All Armenians carry false passports—French, American—they will remain false as long as they are not Armenian." Over the following years, he perfected his military skills at an ASALA training camp, eventually becoming one of the group's principal instructors.

Monte with his wife Seda

After being released from a French prison (once again) in 1989, Monte arrived in Armenia in 1991, where armed clashes between Armenians and azerbaijanis had already begun. He founded the "Patriots" unit and spent seven months in Yerevan working at the Academy of Sciences, writing and publishing the book "Armenia and its Neighbors." In September of the same year, he went to the Republic of Artsakh to fight for his fatherland and its people. Due to his military expertise, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Martuni defense district in 1992. His sincerity and purity quickly won the love and respect of the local population and the Armenian community as a whole.

Throughout his conscious life, Monte fought for the rights of Armenians, recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and the reclamation of Armenian homeland.

There are various versions of Monte Melqonyan's death circulating in both Armenian and azerbaijani media. According to official Armenian information, Monte was killed on June 12, 1993, by fire from an azerbaijani armored vehicle.

Monte remains a lasting testament to the incredible potential unleashed when the Armenian patriotic heart unites with sharp intellect.

In case you'd like to put a voice to the face and hear about the Artsakh struggle directly from Monte, here he is speaking about it in English.

[rebel-at-heart713]

Is anyone else very impressed with how Rick Riordan basically tricked Disney into publishing books with very LGBT+ characters which sort of seems like something Disney tries to hide. (Hide meaning only tiny glimpses that they can hide easily)

What I mean by “tricking”

The Lightning Thief. Simple. All the kids are assumed cis white and straight. Only really inclusive in the way that they have learning disabilities and messy family life. And it stays that way, maybe adding some side characters that are POC, (Beckendorf being described as black but there’s not much interaction with him until The Demigod Files and Last Olympian. Maybe you could say Nico and Bianca are Italian immigrants.

Then you get to Heroes of Olympus, where out of the 7 in Great Prophecy only 3 are white, (you got Piper being Native American, Hazel is Black, Leo is Latino and Frank is Chinese-Canadian) but most are still assumed straight. Until you get Nico’s reveal in House of Hades (if I remember right)

But then….oh boy.

Trials of Apollo.

Apollo is the main character and canonically bisexual, talking about several past lovers some male some female. Even stating one of his campers mortal parent is also her father. There is a cannon gay couple. There’s a cannon old lesbian couple.

Magnus Chase

Practically cannon gay couple (one deaf), Muslim character, pan character, trans gender fluid.

Now we are getting a book that stars a gay couple.

Rick basically said to Disney, “look at these! Harmless adventure stories. Look. Locked in? Okay! POC and LGBT+ can’t say no to me now I’m selling too many books. If I go to someone else I’ll just be making them money.

I just find it very funny, but I also credit Rick with exposing me to a lot of it. Before I read these books I hadn’t seen too much of this stuff in other media.

(Also adding how in Daughter of the Deep the main character gets her period in the middle of the book and it’s treated as normal.)

[fdelopera]

America owes its independence to Haym Salomon, a Sephardic Jewish Patriot

A Jewish American Hero

by Yosef Kaufmann

October 17, 1781. An eerie silence takes hold over the battlefield outside Yorktown, Virginia. After weeks of non-stop artillery shells and rifle fire, the rhythmic pounding of a drum is all that is heard. Through the wispy smoke that floats above the battlefield, a British officer can be seen waving a white flag. General Cornwallis has surrendered Yorktown, ending the last major battle of the American Revolution. The surrender of Yorktown and the nearly 8,000 British troops convinced the British Parliament to start negotiating an end to the war. On September 3, 1783, the treaty of Paris was signed. The war was over.

If not for Haym Salomon, however, the decisive victory at Yorktown never would have happened.

Haym Salomon was born in Leszno, Poland, in 1740. In 1770, he was forced to leave Poland for London as a result of the Partition of Poland. Five years later, he left London for New York City, where he quickly established himself as a broker for international merchants.

Sympathetic to the Patriot cause, Haym joined the New York branch of the Sons of Liberty, a secret society that did what it could to undermine British interests in the colonies. In 1776, he was arrested by the British and charged with being a spy. He was pardoned on condition that he spend 18 months on a British ship serving as a translator for the Hessian mercenaries, as he was fluent in Polish, French, German, Russian, Spanish and Italian. During those 18 months, Haym used his position to help countless American prisoners escape. He also convinced many Hessian soldiers to abandon the British and join the American forces.

In 1778, he was arrested again and sentenced to death for his involvement in a plot to burn the British Royal fleet in the New York Harbour. He was sent to Provost to await execution, but he managed to bribe a guard and escape under the cover of darkness.

He fled New York, which was under the control of the British army, and moved to Philadelphia, the capital of the Revolution.

He borrowed money and started a business as a dealer of bills of exchange. His office was located near a coffee house frequented by the command of the American forces. He also became the agent to the French consul and the paymaster for the French forces in North America. Here he became friendly with Robert Morris, the newly appointed Superintendent of Finance for the 13 colonies. Records show that between 1781 and 1784, through both fundraising and personal loans, he was responsible for financing George Washington over $650,000, today worth approximately over $13 million.

By 1781, the American congress was practically broke. The huge cost of financing the war effort had taken its toll. In September of that year, George Washington decided to march on Yorktown to engage General Cornwallis. A huge French fleet was on its way from the West Indies under the command of Comte De Grasse. The fleet would only be able to stay until late October, so Washington was facing immense pressure to lead an attack on Yorktown before then.

After marching through Pennsylvania, with little in the way of food and supplies, Washington’s troops were on the verge of mutiny. They demanded a full month's pay in coins, not congressional paper money which was virtually worthless, or they would not continue their march. Washington wrote to Robert Morris saying he would need $20,000 to finance the campaign. Morris responded that there was simply no money or even credit left. Washington simply wrote, “Send for Haym Salomon.” Within days, Haym Salomon had raised the $20,000 needed for what proved to be the decisive victory of the Revolution.

Haym’s chessed continued after the war. Whenever he met someone who he felt had sacrificed during the war and needed financial assistance, he didn’t hesitate to do whatever he could to help.

He was also heavily involved in the Jewish community. He was a member of Congregation Mikveh Yisroel in Philadelphia, the fourth oldest synagogue in America, and he was responsible for the majority of the funds used to build the shul’s main building.

He also served as the treasurer to the Society for the Relief of Destitute Strangers, the first Jewish charitable organization in Philadelphia.

On January 8, 1785, Haym died suddenly at the age of 44. Due to the fact the government owed him hundreds of thousands of dollars, his family was left penniless.

His obituary in the Independent Gazetteer read:

Thursday, last, expired, after a lingering illness, Mr. Haym Salomon, an eminent broker of this city, was a native of Poland, and of the Hebrew nation. He was remarkable for his skill and integrity in his profession, and for his generous and humane deportment. His remains were yesterday deposited in the burial ground of the synagogue of this city.

Although there is little proof, many believe that when designing the American Great Seal, George Washington asked Salomon what he wanted as compensation for his generosity during the war. Salomon responded “I want nothing for myself, rather something for my people.” It is for this reason that the 13 stars are arranged in the shape of the Star of David.

[thefugitivesaint]

''Starfix'', #2, 1983 The 1980s saw a proliferation of 'Sword & Sorcery' films and the genre of "Heroic Spaghetti" was the 'Sword and Sandal'/'Sword and Sorcery' version of Spaghetti Westerns. They were cheaply produced Italian movies that imitated/plagarized/copied American movies of the same genre (which often had larger budgets and more professional production values although, in relation to other American films, were considered low budget shlock).

Conan the Barbarian (1982) Far too many cheap Italian fantasy films were badly reproduced versions of 'Conan'.

'Sword and the Sorcerer', ''L'ecran Fantastique'', #25, 1982 (The poster art was done by the British artist Peter Andrew Jones) A film I've posted about previously and I stand by what I wrote.

'The Beastmaster', ''L'ecran Fantastique'', #23, 1982 Peak Marc Singer's abs. The only memorable aspect of this movie for me was the appearance of the 'Winged Devourers'.

Hawk the Slayer (1980) Arguably the film that began the 'Sword & Sorcery' craze of the 1980s. It's also in direct competition with 'The Beastmaster' as one of the worst films in the genre.

Krull (1982) 'Sword & Sorcery' but IN SPACE. Still enjoy the special effects around the 'Slayers', alien knights (of sorts) who are the soldiers of 'The Beast', the primary antagonist of the film. I still think that the 'Glaive', the magical weapon used by the film's hero (he's holding it in the poster art), is one of the most impractical weapons ever conceived. Saw this film in theaters as a child and loved it. I have less love for it in adulthood is what I will kindly say now.

Frank Frazetta (1928-2010), 'Fire and Ice', 1983 'Sword & Sorcery' but ANIMATED. Ralph Bakshi's animated film created in collaboration with Frazetta. If you want to see a movie that involved a great deal of creative work from some very creative people only to tell a predictable and mediocre story than I recommend watching 'Fire and Ice.' Like many of the cheaply made horror films of the 1980s, the poster art and VHS box art for fantasy films were far superior to the content they advertised. The same applies to the "Heroic Spaghetti" films. The poster art for almost all of the "Heroic Spaghetti" films was done by outside companies not directly involved in the production and most of the art was done by Italian artists Enzo Sciotti (1944-2021) and Renato Casaro. The poster art they created is probably the only enduring legacy of this genre given how utterly forgettable the films were.

I could name dozens of additional films here but I'm not going to waste your time (nor mine). If you're reading this you can easily look them up yourself.

[chernobog13]

Italian poster for the 1966 film Golden Bat (aka Ogon Bat).

They got the head and shape of the costume mostly right, but then they went off the rails.

I guess, with the (translated) title The Return of Diavolik, the Italian exhibitors thought they would be able to fill theaters with people who thought this was a film based on Diabolik. Diabolik, an Italian comic book character created in 1962, was a mega-popular at the time, an anti-hero thief in an all-black costume that only showed his eyes. Diabolik made it to the big screen in the Mario Bava-directed film Danger: Diabolik (1968). American actor John Phillip Law (who would later star in 1974's The Golden Voyage of Sinbad) played the titular super-thief.

As you can see, there isn't really any resemblance between the two characters.

However, there is another Italian comic book anti-hero, one whose comic book costume was basically copied for the Golden Bat poster: Kriminal.

Inspired by the success of Diabolik, Kriminal debuted in Italian comics two years later. He was another anti-hero thief, and the similarities with Diabolik didn't stop there. He was, though, much more sadistic than his inspiration. His stories included a lot more sex and violence, especially against women, whom he would murder to protect his identity.

Never as successful as his forbear, Kriminal nevertheless had a ten-year run in comics, and spawned two films:

Kriminal (1966). He really looks like Golden Bat in that second poster.

The Mark of Kriminal (1967).

Of course, none of these characters should be confused with another fellow with a skeleton motif: Sadistik, the Diabolical Super Kriminal!

Originally named Killing when he debuted in Italian comics (fumetti, to be more precise) in 1966, Sadistik was inspired by the excesses of Kriminal. There's just one thing: Sadistik didn't think Kriminal went far enough, so he made sure to out-do his idol (whom he had a crossover with, the first in Italian comics). This guy didn't pretend to be an anti-hero; he was an out-and out villain who occasionally wiped out other crooks who got in his way.

He was known as Satanik in France (Killing just seemed a little on-the-nose), and Sadistik in the English-speaking world. His fumetti exploits only lasted 62 issues over three years in his native Italy. In Argentina, where he was still called Killing, the publishers there created their own stories when the original ones ran out. The Argentinian series lasted into the 1980s.

Additionally, the character was called KiLiNK in Turkey, where he was the star of several unauthorized films (I sometimes wonder if that's the only kind Turkey made) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The best known of those films is 1967's Killing In Istanbul.

Apparently, the son of a scientist KiLiNK kills somehow gains super-powers, and calls himself Superman. His battle with KiLiNK carries over to the sequel, which was released the same year.

Anyway, what was I talking about when I started this post?

[thethirdtriplet]

Title: Mentor Tim

It was meant to be a simple mission.

Is what Red Robin was told, when he was summoned to the watchtower, and asked to intervene on a mission gone wrong, a mission that was meant to be handled by a bunch of teenagers, and while Tim wasn’t much of a fan of the justice league (maybe he was still salty about the whole not believing Bruce was alive thing, which was years ago, but his therapist said it was healthy to admit how you feel about things and people, so yeah he was still salty) and preferred taking on missions assigned from the Titans, he couldn’t not agree to the mission when he heard of the team that was assigned.

Young Justice.

Tim wasn’t aware there was even a Young Justice team still operational, as the hero community kept growing so has the number of sidekicks, he assumed all teens and sidekicks became teen titans, but then why would anyone dump their kids in Young Justice? With the team’s… eccentric reputation, Tim doubted it would ever be operational again.

That was until he read their files himself.

Name: Leonard.

Age: 15

Hero name: Iron knight.

Nationality: Irish.

Skin colour: Pale white.

Hair colour: Red.

Eye colour: Brown.

The ability to harden his body into a metallic texture.

—————————

Name: Keith.

Age: 16

Hero name: Ronin.

Nationality: Japanese, American.

Skin colour: White.

Hair colour: Black.

Eye colour: Black

Trained samurai from birth.

—————————

Name: Peter.

Age: 14

Hero name: Void.

Nationality: British.

Skin colour: White.

Hair colour: Blonde.

Eye colour: Blue.

The ability to create portals.

—————————

Name: Nickolas.

Age: 16

Hero name: Magus.

Nationality: French, American.

Skin colour: White.

Hair colour: Brown.

Eye colour: Green.

Magic user.

—————————

Name: Mateo.

Age: 15

Hero name: Surge.

Nationality: Mexican, American.

Skin colour: Tan skin.

Hair colour: Black.

Eye colour: Brown.

The ability to absorb high amounts of energy, and redirect it.

—————————

Name: Sofia.

Age: 15

Hero name: Ghost.

Nationality: Italian.

Skin colour: Pale White.

Hair colour: Brown.

Eye colour: Hazel.

The ability to turn invisible, and walk through walls.

—————————

Name: Amara.

Age: 13

Hero name: Whisper.

Nationality: Russian.

Skin colour: Pale White.

Hair colour: Blonde.

Eye colour: Grey.

Trained assassin from birth.

—————————

Name: Amber.

Age: 15

Hero name: Blaze.

Nationality: American.

Skin colour: White

Hair colour: Brown. (Dyed orange at the ends)

Eye colour: Brown.

The ability to create flames.

—————————

Those were probably the driest files Tim’s ever read, he knows supervillains with files less vague than these, so he had to do more research himself, reading into more personal details about each member it wasn’t hard to realise that each kid had their own issues, issues apparently no one was interested in dealing with, because the kids had no official mentor, they had been trained for some time from different leaguers, but that’s it.

Black canary has been working with them for some time now, for hand to hand combat, and as a licensed therapist, but there’s only so much she can do for those kids, seeing as most of them had been mistreated their whole lives, mostly by adults, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to be mistrustful.

That’s how Tim found himself, on a jet (that may or may not be the batjet, just don’t tell Bruce), headed to help those kids with their mission.

Once he arrived at the warehouse, he observed the situation from above, through a skylight, and watched as disaster unfolded right before his eyes. The kids were incredibly uncoordinated, some were arguing amongst themselves, while others seemed as though they had no understanding of the word teamwork, just when the goons they were meant to be fighting began to get the upper hand, did Tim join the fight.

His appearance halted most, if not all movement from both sides of the fight, he used that to his advantage and struck the men, taking them down one by one, as he shouted commands for the young teens to follow. Once the young heroes realised he wasn’t a threat, they took action almost immediately, following through on his instructions religiously.

As the last goon was zip-tied, Red Robin was approached by one of the teens, Surge (Mateo).

“Uhh.. Red Robin, ..sir?” Asked the boy

“Yes, Surge?”

“W-what are you doing here?”

“I was asked by the justice league to intervene on your mission, seeing as you weren’t able to complete it yourselves.” Red Robin replied Non-condescendingly.

Blaze (Amber) scoffed and said “As if the Justice League cared.”

Red Robin’s attention was turned to her as he spoke “What do you mean by that?”

As if opening a can of soda that’s been shaken too much, she spoke with relentless fury “Well if they cared, really cared they’d show it, wouldn’t they!? They’re not even pretending to care at this point! Heck the only leaguer we talk to regularly is Black Canary, but that’s for hand to hand and therapy, other than that no one comes around unless they have to, and even when they do, they don’t even bother hiding the fact that they’d rather be anywhere else if it meant they wouldn’t have to deal with us!” By the end of her tirade, she was trembling, with hatred, anger and…hurt..

“You’re right” the words left his mouth before his mind even registered he was speaking, not that his words weren’t true.

( The scene before him, of a group of children that felt abandoned, neglected and lonely, came from a very familiar play )

The atmosphere shifted as all eyes landed on Red Robin, as he spoke, he knew they were listening to his words ( it wasn’t everyday that someone actually understood you, as a teenager, let alone an adult ), “You’re right, the Justice League, has wronged, mistreated and neglected you, in more ways than just training, they’ve failed to acknowledge your presence, despite your need of proper guidance” no one spoke so he continued, “That is a mistake on their end, no yours, and so, it shouldn’t be you who suffers in the end. That wouldn’t be fair to you” silence still echoed as no one dared interrupt him, “I will bring this up with the league as soon as I return to the Watchtower.” (Is it just him or did he sound a little bit ‘adulty’? His therapist would be so proud).

His eyes soften and so did his voice as he took in the sight of the tired worn out teenagers, before him, “But for now I should take you all back to your headquarters, you seem like you need you need a nice hot meal, a warm shower and a good nights sleep, you’ve sure as hell earned it”. The kids seemed taken aback by his suggestion, as if they hadn’t expected him to suggest what he did, but none of them objected. Void (peter), spoke, “The Justice League sent us an automated jet, to get us here”, he was rubbing the back of his neck with his hands, “We don’t really know how to get back...?" He added awkwardly. “No worries, my jet is big enough to fit all of you just fine” said Tim, smugly. “Is that so? Is your jet that big?” Ronin (Keith), asked curious. “That depends, have any of you seen a Bat-jet before?”, Tim swore he could see stars in their -masked- eyes.

———————————

Mount Justice -apparently their base of operations- is in mint condition, thankfully (he was going to have words with the league if it wasn’t), looking around it’s obvious the kids haven’t been comfortable enough to mess around with the place (he’ll have to change that).

In a way it’s quite nostalgic, to walk around in his old h.q., though there’s still a few differences compared to back then, Like the brood of ducklings kids that are currently staring at him. “So.. are you guys gonna order something, or does one of you know how to cook?” Asked Tim, “Some of us can cook just fine, but we’re too tired to do so, sir” Magus (Nickolas) spoke, evidently wary in the presence of an adult, but still attempting to be polite.

“Y’know I could just order something for you guys.”, suggested Tim, “No, no need we can order for ourselves just fine.” replied Iron knight (Leonard), “I insist. Tell me what you’re in the mood for, pastas, burgers, pizza?” Once he noticed them perk up at the mention of pizza, he began to scroll through the numbers on his phone, searching for that one pizza place he liked as a teen (the one he used to order from, for the team, man he missed those idiots, he should reach out to them soon).

“Are you sure, sir? There’s no need for you to order for us.” Questioned Ghost (Sofia), “Yes, I’m sure, what toppings do you guys want?”, they suggested he order only one pizza with no toppings, which he immediately shut down, and even threatened to choose the toppings himself (“Do you want me to put pineapples on your pizza’s? Don’t test me, now choose.”), once almost everyone chose the topping for their own pizza, he turned to the only occupant of the room that hadn’t spoken, “And what about you, Whisper, what do you want?”, the girl in question -who had been observing him, silently for quite some time now, is she assessing whether or not he’s a threat?- Peter spoke for her “Uhh.. She can’t talk, she’s mute..”, “Black Canary’s brought her a few teachers for a while, but she didn’t like them much, so she stopped showing up to lessons after a while.” Mateo added.

The hesitant-comfortable atmosphere they’ve had for some time now almost broke, as all the teens looked to him, as if gaging his reaction, all in defensive stances (Tim had to hand it to them, for being willing to defend their teammate, against someone who was probably way out of their league), calmly, he spoke “No worries, I know a bit of sign myself”, “Though, I am a bit rusty” he added, bashfully.

Hesitantly, Amara lifted her hand to finger spell ‘C h e s e’, “Oh, just cheese, sure.” said Tim, the once tense atmosphere returned to it’s semi-calmness, as the teens sighed in relief, (seriously, what did they expect him to do, judge her?).

———————————

Tim stayed with the team, up until the food arrived, they were all lounging in the ‘living room’ (it was just a big circular area, that connected all the rooms together, that you had to pass to enter a bedroom, it had couches and sofas), Tim observed the teens, as they helped themselves, with their pizzas, some even opted to shed a few items of clothing, while others, changed out of their costumes completely, politely they began a bit of small talk to pass the time as they waited the foods arrival, at some point the topic of hero’s came up, which then somehow led to a very heated discussion as to which hero could take down who.

Tim -Red Robin at the moment- who had spent an ungodly amount of time analysing various hero’s, old and new, their fighting styles, their abilities, strengths and weaknesses, and has written contingencies for most, if not all of them, was more than happy to share his findings. Especially since they seemed so interested in the topic, and whatever Tim -Red Robin- had to say about the heroes? Well, Who was he to deny their curiosity.

He knew he made the right call, when it got the kids comfortable in his presence.

(Was he gossiping with a bunch of teens over heroes who are basically his coworkers? Yes. Yes, he was.)

“No way, Wonder Woman, is the best superhero, period” said Peter.

“Really? You think she’d win against Superman?” Asked Leonard, curiously.

“The Superman?” Questioned Sofia.

“What say you, Red?” Asked Keith.

Red Robin, or “Red” as they’ve taken to calling him, answered, “I’m with Void on this one.” Tim didn’t miss the way he basically preened at his words, “I’m pretty sure she can kick any leaguers ass, any day.”

“Even Batman..?” Asked Mateo, in a hushed tone, as if just speaking his name would summon him (it was amusing, but understandable).

“What do you think his contingencies are for?” Replied Red, with a Smirk.

“Isn’t he.. I don’t know, your boss or something” Asked Nickolas, confused.

“I like to think I’m my own boss, thanks” replied Tim. (He may, or may not get bullied into visiting the manor, regularly, by various members of the Batfamily, no one needs to know that, though.)

“What?” Asked Tim, when he noticed the sudden silence.

“Huh.” Said Amber, as if a realization had just dawned on her “You’re actually way cooler than I thought you’d be.”.

“Gee, thanks.” Deadpanned Tim.

“She is not wrong.” At Tim’s raised eyebrow, Keith elaborated, “All the leaguers we have met so far were not interested in our wellbeing.”

“Yeah, they’d just complete whatever task they have, with us, and just leave.” Nickolas added.

“I don’t remember if any of them ever asked if we were tired or hungry. Unlike you.” Sofia continued.

“None of them ever stayed long enough to even speak to us.” said Leonard.

“And when they did, we couldn’t have normal conversations like this one, all we did was have a mission debriefing.” spoke Peter.

“Or we wouldn’t say anything at all, incase we say something.. offensive in any way.” Finished Amber.

Amara simply nodded.

Tim felt his blood boil (is that a thing? Whatever, it didn’t matter as long as it described just how furious he was) “Is that so..?”

Tim kept processing their words, even as they transgressed onto another subject, though, he knew he couldn’t stay long, so he bid them farewell, to head back to the Watchtower -via zeta tube- and tried not to let their disappointment affect him (with what he has in mind, for them, their dissatisfaction with his departure won’t last long), he had a few senior league members to speak with about an adoption a mentorship request.

And he couldn’t wait a second longer.

———————————

It took some getting used to, Tim will have to admit, for him and the team (his team now), to get used to their new relationship, as mentor and mentees.

The sudden announcement of his now mentorship over the teens, was made only a week after his hangout stay with the team, (it would have taken longer, had he not urged the senior league members to officiate it, and if he made a few, mild, harmless threats, to insure the job was done properly, Batman would be blamed for teaching him how to in-list fear), it did surprise the teens a bit, still, they took the news with stride (whether that was because they’ve never had an official mentor before, and were eager, or that they genuinely liked Red Robin, Tim isn’t sure).

Tim would like to point out, that they’ve made significant progress, in the last two months they’ve been working together.

They’re actually brilliant students, fast learners, always ready to try out a new training program, any chance they get, they soak up any knowledge he offers, like little sponges. They try to follow his teachings without fail, and even trust him when on missions, enough to let him lead them. They look to him for guidance when they need him, and he tries to always be there, to help (and maybe that’s what strengthened their new bond, the fact that he tries to be there, especially when they need him).

It wasn’t always as easy, not in the beginning, no. They liked him, Tim was sure of that, but liking someone doesn’t necessarily mean you trust them. Trust was something meant to be earned, not given. Tim had earned the right, to be trusted.

They trust him enough to act themselves around him. And just as they had gotten comfortable with him, did he realize why they were placed in YJ. He knew deep down, the reason stemmed from their traumatic backstories, strange powers, and ‘behavioral issues’ (talking back, is not a behavioral issue, fuck whoever wrote that in Amber’s file), Seeing as the team’s former members were regarded as “nutcases” by the media, it was a no wonder they would be placed there in the first place. Not that the kids tried proving anyone wrong (“Why waste time trying to show someone who you are, when they have already made up their mind, about you?” Those were the wise words of Keith, a young boy forced to mature faster than most teenagers, Tim could relate).

They were skilled, skilled boys and girls, using their gifts for good, to do good, and be good. They shouldn’t be criticized for being good. Just because they were.. creative with their skills, did he mention that? They’re incredibly creative with their skills, the stunts they pull would bring his old teams shenanigans to shame:

“How did you guys manage to burn and flood a building at the same time?!-”

Sometimes, he couldn’t help but wonder, why?

“-Is- is the building crumbling?! How did you do that?-”

Other times, he can’t help but wonder, how?

“Why in the world did you guys think this was a good idea, Surge?”

“Do you remember that one mission we did last week, when we discovered a secret lab, full of animals that were being experimented on?” Questioned, the boy.

“Yes, I do. But, what does that have to do with this?”

“We found out who owned that lab.”

The building -A Lexcorp building, mind you- blows up, promptly, after his admission.

“Void! I thought we told you to be careful with those!” admonishes, Blaze.

“My Bad!” apologized, Void.

“Ahh, I see, carry on.” Dismissed, Red Robin.

What? Yeah, so maybe he isn’t any better than they are, and he is might be the adult that’s in charge of them, But, who is he to stop them from doing their jobs, as hero’s?

And they’re applying what he taught them, in the field?

He couldn’t be any prouder.

“What’s going on here?” A new voice, interrupted his and Surge’s conversation. A new but familiar voice, actually. One that belongs to a certain Kryptonian.

Red Robin, and his students, that came up to him, not long after the building Burst to flames, turned around to witness Superboy (Conner Kent) descent from the skies, along with Wondergirl (Cassandra Sandmark), followed by Impulse (Bartholomew Allen) on land.

“Hey Rob!” Bart waved his hand so quickly, it fazed.

“Really, Rob, we leave you alone, to go on a mission off-planet, only to find out you’ve become a teacher?” Chides Cassie, fondly. Then, she states “And here I thought we were friends” putting a hand on her chest, were her heart is, feigning hurt.

“And look, he’s already causing trouble with them.” Conner points out, Bart adds “It’s like we don’t even know you anymore.” while wiping away a fake tear.

“Haha, very funny, you guys.” Deadpans Tim, though secretly amused.

“If you’re done with the theatrics.” He sends them a pointed look, before gesturing to the.. starstruck kids next to him (?), “Allow me to introduce to you, the newest Young Justice members.”

This was probably going to be the beginning of something beautiful, or incredibly disastrous… meh, he’ll let the universe decide, and just go with the flow.

[ducklooney]

While the Epic Mickey video game is getting a remastered version (and that's a good thing, because that video game is really underrated), it's a shame that Disney canceled a video game project called Epic Donald for stupid reasons. It would be like Epic Mickey (spin-off to be exact), but Donald would star as the hero who saves Duckburg from various troubles and villains. Donald would be like Indiana Jones, but you should know that Indiana Jones was modeled after the Carl Barks comics and the adventures of Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck and Huey, Dewey and Louie.

That game would be based on the Carl Barks comics with some references from the OG Ducktales and in addition to Donald, there would be Scrooge McDuck, Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, Gyro Gearloose, Magica de Spell, Launchpad McQuack, Beagle Boys, Gladstone Gander and other characters (with appearances by Goofy and Mickey). And these are some of the concepts for this game which was specially left by one of the last current American writers and artists for Donald Duck comics Patrick Pat Block. This idea was put forth by Warren Spector himself. And you can learn more about it from this video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50doEJYcwv8

Articles related to this: https://www.thegamer.com/epic-donald-epic-mickey/ https://mynintendonews.com/2016/08/19/concept-art-from-cancelled-epic-donald-game-surfaces/

And thanks to gaming historian Liam Robertson for the excellent video clip analysis.

It was also planned to realize the video game Epic Mickey Racers in which famous Disney heroes would race, and one of them would be Scrooge McDuck who would ride a motorcycle together with Donald's nephews. This sounds familiar, doesn't it?

It's a great shame that they canceled this video game (especially after Ducktales Remastered Game), because if they had realized it, they would have realized how much they could do with Donald Duck, his family and friends, and the comic book material, which there is a lot of, and people, through the video game, could be interested. for Carl Barks comics, as well as other comics by other authors, especially in America where interest in Donald Duck comics has declined since the 1980s era. In Europe he would be even more popular because Donald is a much more popular character than Mickey (which is not to say that Mickey doesn't have a role in his comics, especially look at Egmont and the Italian comics) and has a significant role in those comics. I have a feeling that American Disney has a lot of intolerance towards Disney comics, which is unfortunate. Shame on you Disney!

I wish that this idea and this video game could be realized and that Donald could be restored to his old reputation. This is just my opinion.

Feel free to like and reblog this if you support this!